New Directions

Taylor had his link set in conference mode, suspended over a bowl shaped from deadwood scavenged from Pashtuk's garden. Together, they approximated a speakerphone. He had experimented with different materials, but wood imparted warmer tones than hard surfaces like metal or stone. He was meeting with Red Tower on the admin link instead of thoughtspace to include people who weren't disciples.

"I thought we had a plan." Anisca sounded miffed, even through the link. "We were going to get them to accept us and then learn from their hunters. Now you want to throw away all the hard work we put in and do whatever you want."

"We're not throwing anything away, we're adjusting to new facts." Taylor tried to reassure her. "I don't think they'll lift their taboo, no matter what we do. But the good news here is that Sand Castle is considered desert right now. So are Pashtuk and Saluja. We can do whatever we want in these places. That's what Yalda was trying to tell us. As long as this ends in Darkmaw's death, and without destroying any more gardens, they're going to owe us.

"You saw what Yalda was like. These people are proud of their communities' self-sufficiency. They're ashamed to lose their gardens, asking for help practically kills them, and accepting it creates a debt they need to pay. I think the circles are afraid of the debt they'll owe to outsiders if we succeed, and that's partly why they won't help us."

"Your theory does hang together," mused Assistant Rector Kasryn, "but it sounds like you want to hunt Darkmaw without getting anything from the local hunters first."

"Well, we're pretty sure she's a scorpion, and we have a good idea of her abilities. That's most of what we wanted to know. The biggest questions now are, how big is she, and is she carrying a new clutch of eggs?"

"You want to send a scout party." Mataba's real voice was different from his avatar's, higher and more nasal. "You'll want to observe her for a while, I believe. Get some light on her and learn her habits. Give us two days to prepare, and we'll dispatch a team with enough supplies for a long watch."

Taylor guessed the senior healer had turned away from the link to give directions because his voice reduced to a murmur rattling off a list of tasks.

"Thank you, Brother Mataba. In the meantime, I want to use Pashtuk as an advanced base. It's the closest garden to Darkmaw, it'll keep us supplied while we deal with Sand Castle and Saluja, and it'll piss off whatever's left of Satoma. By holding it … "

"I'm coming over," blurted Anisca. All conversation stopped, on both ends of the link.

"What?" was all Taylor could think of to say.

"Pardon me," said Anisca. She cleared her throat and, for a moment, they all thought she was about to take back what she had said. "What I meant to say was that your strategy of occupying a garden is an excellent one. I am presuming, of course, that you intend to return it to its former inhabitants. However, if you are doing something audacious, you should aim to maximize the effect. Invite leadership from other gardens to witness the end of Darkmaw. Display the powers of Nexus and highlight the benefit of having us as friends. Engage in some diplomacy while you have them all together. Create opportunities for exchanges of all kinds.

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"Also, I suspect you want to run off and solve Saluja's monster problem right away. May I suggest you gain some consideration first, before making their problems vanish? The Guidebook warns us not to be taken for granted, and requiring payment is a moral caution for good reason. You will be too lax with them if you're on your own. It isn't only the citizens of Saluja who will benefit: so will the gardens who are sacrificing to house and feed them. They should all assist us. I can help in this regard, leaving you free to awe people and kill monsters.

"And then there's the matter of Dagono. They can lie and make false promises to some random outsider, but they need to understand it's an entirely different matter to mistreat Nexus that way. Doubly so, where its future hierarch is concerned. We must find a way to disadvantage Dagono, for breaking their word to you."

"Anisca is correct," Kasryn added, "you need her there, at least one full cadre, and some other people. We'll put together a list."

"Your generosity is one of your best qualities, Young Master," added Rector Mika, "but I too believe it's time they contribute fairly. The school needs resources to thrive."

"You're the one who made her read the Guidebook," Mataba laughed, "don't blame us if her arguments are on point."

Taylor had a sinking feeling, the kind he got when he didn't like a course of action but knew it was for the best. That feeling was doubled because Anisca was the person who suggested it.

"I'll consider it," he said finally. "Make your list and we'll talk tomorrow after the morning classes." He didn't wait for anyone to accept or argue. "Is there anything else?"

"Just a few notices," said Mika. "The new healers from Gallia arrived today. They've all read Beg For Rest to give up their Enclave anointments, and they've had their first sessions in the mirror room. One of them claims to be your physician. A Healer Ferange. Do you know him?"

"Ferange! He's a good guy. He helped me with the aftermath of …" being poisoned to death by the royal family and buried in a remote grave. "… how I left Lavradio last year. I was kind of a mess. It's good to have him on our side."

"And, it seems another of your Gallia acquaintances will be visiting soon. Do you remember a Commander Urban?"

Taylor had to think. He'd nearly forgotten the guy. "I remember a vainglorious and incompetent officer who was swallowed by a giant toad. Why? How many people is he bringing with him?"

"One thousand foot, and two hundred mounted. The Gallian prelate publicly called for a purge of 'the Nexus heresy'. Urban answered."

"This sounds like a lot more than a mere notice, Mika."

"They're funded by the church in Gallia," added Kasryn. "He has family connections in the Senate, so he's not without connections, yet his family refuses to support him because of the string of scandals that follow him. The Senate wants nothing to do with Enclave's crusade, so he's getting no help from that quarter."

"Eldest Brother, this is Lector James," said a new voice. "We have good intelligence on Urban thanks to Brother Edos, and we don't think he's much to worry about. His force is all volunteers. A few are veterans but the rest are untrained. They're poorly supplied, don't know our exact location, and they've entered the desert in high summer. So far, they've been marching in the daytime. They should be ready to surrender in a few days."

"Unbelievable." The admin council might be right: this particular force of twelve hundred was probably doomed by their commander's idiocy. Nexus could end up rescuing them instead of fighting them. "Keep an eye on them and keep me posted."

"Last item," promised Kasryn. "Game of Prelates has updated rules. We'll send a set along with Anisca's detachment."